Psychometric Testing

The simple, valid and reliable way to identify talent

The word psychometric might seem a little intimidating, but these clever assessments are nothing to be afraid of.

In fact, the clever use of psych tests can be incredibly beneficial for virtually any business.

To put it simply, psychometric testing aims to provide an accurate, unbiased insight into a person’s strengths and weaknesses. When integrated with a recruitment strategy, these tests can make it easy to assess and compare candidates.

This means hiring managers can feel confident when they shortlist applicants and make that all-important job offer.

What is ‘psychometrics’?

Psychometrics is essentially a field of scientific study. The ‘metrics’ part refers to measuring, while the ‘psycho’ part refers to a person’s mental abilities. This narrow definition doesn’t quite cover it all, though – psychometric tests are also useful for analysing personality traits and behaviours.

Getting a clear picture of someone’s cognitive ability and their personal approach to work is incredibly beneficial for any authority figure within an organisation. Whether you’re looking to fill a new position or choosing an employee to move up the ranks, the results of a psychometric assessment can make your decision a whole lot easier.

So they’re just like those online personality tests?

Not quite. The key advantage of psychometric testing is that it’s constructed and validated by qualified psychologists. This makes the results far more reliable than those of any test you might find by searching ‘personality quiz’ on Google.

Scientific research has confirmed it: psychometric assessment can help you determine the most suitable candidate for a job offer or promotion. For example, Schmidt and Hunter (1998) revealed that the information from resumes and application letters are often the least effective indicators of a candidate’s potential to successfully fulfil a role.

Meanwhile, cognitive ability tests (a key factor of psychometric testing), were found to be the best predictor after work sample tests. In comparison, years of education, amount of job experience and age seem to have little – if any – impact on how well a candidate will perform at work.

It’s not surprising that work sample tests make great indicators. After all, observing an applicant performing the actual job tasks is a pretty good way to preview how they would cope during the real deal.

However, this really isn’t practical given the large volume of people that apply for most jobs – not to mention the insurance concerns and how time-consuming this can be. This is where psychometric testing really has the upper hand.

Why use psychometric testing?

It’s affordable

These online assessments are very affordable compared to labour-intensive manual processes, particularly given the superior outcomes they deliver.
Considering all these advantages, it’s easy to see why more and more forward-thinking companies are adopting online psychometric tests as their primary tool for screening applicants. For many recruiting agencies and hiring managers, psychometric testing is now a key part of their recruitment methodology.

It’s efficient

Online psychometric testing is an exceptionally efficient method. In almost no time at all, you can work out which of your candidates are worth moving forward to the next phase.
And no matter how many applicants you have to consider, they can all be evaluated simultaneously in just seconds. It’s easy to see how this approach is less stressful and more cost-effective than any traditional method.

It’s effective

When cognitive ability tests are combined with structured interviews, the outcome is the same as when they are combined with work sample tests.

This is an extremely valuable statistic for any hiring manager, recruiter or business owner to know.